Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary findings of a school‐based intervention for recently arrived immigrant middle‐school students

Abstract

AbstractThe Cultural Adjustment Group is a pilot school‐based group intervention for recently arrived immigrant middle school students. This study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and provided preliminary assessment data to guide future intervention research. Seventy (Male, n = 43; Female, n = 27) immigrant students who were Spanish‐speaking, Arabic‐speaking, and Bangla‐speaking (ages 10–16, M = 13.17) from an urban school district in the Northeastern United States participated in this intervention. Pre and postgroup surveys and exit‐group interviews were conducted to evaluate the program. The findings demonstrated this intervention has good feasibility and high acceptability by the participants. The Bangla‐speaking group reported higher levels of clinical symptoms and perceived discrimination at pretest and reported a clinically significant reduction in clinical symptoms and acculturative stress at posttest. There were no clinically significant changes in the other two groups. The results offer guidance for future implementation of school‐based intervention for newcomer students.